That brings up the interesting question, which was asked during the campaign but never well answered, did we move against the wrong country?

Iran will continue to be a thorn in our side since they sit between our two budding democracy projects. This could be the mother of all diplomatic pincer movements, provided that we can stomach the staying power to make Iran wear itself out trying to tear down democracies in its backyard while at the same time failing to squash the unrest by its own populace. That is a costly proposition and will not be done quickly as this type of warfare takes a long time (if you compare it with the Cold War).

Regardless, something must and eventually will be done.

Iraq is giving us a dilly of a time we certainly didn’t expect. I was totally against the war but even I admitted back when it started that I thought it would be a cakewalk. It has turned out not to be so.

It was certainly easy to decimate the bureaucratic infrastructure of Saddam’s Republican Guard, but I guess we just didn’t count on the country’s own citizens rising up against an occupying force.

With that said, do you honestly believe that Iran, with a population of nearly three times that of Iraq, should be our next go-to point?

I admit I’m extremely against the Islamic state. There’s nothing more I’d like to see than that theocratic dictatorship brought to its knees. But, at what cost should we be willing to go in?

It’s just a thought I have had on my mind quite a bit lately. I think Iran definitely needs to be confronted. Unfortunately we would be fools if we thought we could take them on alone.

That’s why I’m glad that the Afghani lower caste girl that was gangraped as punishment for her brother’s alleged indiscretions has gotten justice under Karzhai’s administration. Folks, there’s a new game in town!! But where were all the self-righteous feminists to plead her case? Busy denouncing our imperialism.

And, Mike, I don’t know if you were referring to my argument – I don’t demean the work of those who try to help the oppressed and poor. I save my scorn, for those who whine and complain, but then when we do something about it, they are up in arms (as NOW was in regards to the war in Afghanistan). It seems, that organizations such as Amnesty International (and the UN) doesn’t want us do DO anything … they just want our money.

Iran is definitely a sorry excuse for a nation. What shocks me so much is the the obvious “groupthink” in that country can be so fogged by something as disgusting as a teenage girl being executed for prostitution.

You conservatives say what you want about Amnesty International, but THIS is exactly why they are one of the best NGOs currently operating in the world. This is the garbage that they uncover and force the press to report.

Sure, they may get political from time to time. But isn’t that the business they’re in? Working with different politics and policies around the world to ensure that all humans are treated humanely.

I just love when conservatives demean the work of Amnesty International and then embrace it when they come out against regimes like China and Iran. I’m not speaking of you, La Shawn…just conservatives in general who have never shown any respect to the organization.

Not that I mean to compare our country to Iran, but it certainly makes me think.

Which also gets me thinking…the way Iraq is going now, I’ve heard several theories on both the right and left that believe the people could DEMOCRATICALLY (that’s what we’re trying to do there, right??) elect a hardline Islam leader like Iran has. Then, what would this war have been worth?

If there was one good thing to say about Saddam (and trust me, there aren’t)…at least he maintained a secular government FREE from all of that Islamofascist crap. I fear we may have reaped something bigger now that most of Iraq hates us and would rather see some fanatic running its country.

I’m sorry, but how completely backwards is that? Especially considering how little freedom at all women get, young girls doing such things are likely to have been forced into it, either by an adult or by the “partner”. The boys are more likely to do it because they CHOOSE to.

Either way it’s extremely young to face that sort of punishment for something other than extreme violence, but give me a break… when men have (I’ll qualify it…almost) all the power in a situation (as they do in those areas of the world), why are they not the ones being held accountable for it? Ridiculous, backwards thinking.

Man, am I glad the Supremes say I can have psychoactive tea again…